Batman: Arkham Smash 2
by Hulkfan96
Summary: A year has passed since the events at the asylum, and now a mega-prison has been constructed in the middle of Gotham City. Can Hulk and Batman take down the supervillains once more and shut Arkham City down? Sequel to Batman: Arkham Smash as well as retelling of Arkham City.
1. New Prison Up The Block

-**Arkham City**-

**Harvey Dent's Campaign Office**

Several thugs resembling Two-Face are standing around when one of them discovers a hidden safe behind a painting. "Look what I found!" The thug exclaims as he approaches the safe, only to be stopped by another one of the men.

"Don't touch it, man. He'll kill you!" The second thug warns, referring to Two-Face.

"How long till the boss gets here?" A goon asks an obese thug.

"He'll be here." The fat goon says as he looks at a rather scrawny henchman.

"Riley said the saw the Bat. Is he here too?" The scrawny man asks.

"In Arkham City? Why would he come here? You guys just need to chill the hell out." As soon as the fat thug says this, a window shatters, causing all the men to assume fighting positions and look at the source of the noise.

"It's Batman!" A thug shouts in response, only to be proven wrong. It wasn't Batman that broke the window, but it was Catwoman instead.

"Sorry to disappoint you, boys." Catwoman says in a slightly flirtatious manner as she unsheathes her claws from the tips of her gloves. "It's just little ol' me."

The thugs charge at Catwoman, who easily outmaneuvers the larger men due to her slim figure and lighter weight. Within a full minute, all the men are knocked out cold as Catwoman walks towards the exposed safe. "Ahhh...Now that they're all taken care of, it's time to get what I came for out of that safe." She says as she saunters to the safe and cracks it. "Try and get one over me, will you, Harv? I don't think so.." She says as she grabs a small electronic chip and inserts it into her phone, which displays schematics for a building in Park Row. As this happens, Catwoman if too focused on it to notice Two-Face planting the barrel of his handgun to the side of Catwoman's head.

"Get your filthy paws off of that. Now." Two-Face growls.

* * *

-**Later**-

**Outside of Arkham City**

Several news stations tune in to a news conference where Bruce Wayne is speaking against the construction of Arkham City in the hopes of having the mega-prison closed and shut down for good.

"This is Gotham News' Vicki Vale reporting live from Arkham City; the controversial super-prison built right here in the heart of Gotham. In a few moments, Bruce Wayne will be live on stage to explain his sudden interest in Gotham politics. The infamous playboy millionaire has never been one to-" She begins to report, only for Bruce Wayne to walk into frame and interrupt her.

"It's billionaire, Vicki. Millionaires are so last year." Bruce says as he walks onto the stage. "Thank you! Thank you, Gotham City." Bruce says as several people clamor in front of him and take pictures of him while ravenously asking questions. "Imprisoned behind these walls, gang leaders are fighting a bloody war in the middle of our once great city. Every inmate from Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison has been relocated to this facility. How can this be safe for the people of Gotham? Today, I'm starting the campaign to close Arkham City and make Gotham safe again." As Bruce says this, several armored trucks pull up, the name 'Tyger' etched on the side as armed men step out and march towards Bruce Wayne.

"Spread out! Remember, Wayne is the priority target." One of the militiamen says over his radio as Wayne is surrounded and knocked unconscious.

* * *

-**Later**-

**Dark Room**

After a long period of time, Bruce wakes up, his wrists and ankles shackled as a bald headed man with a beard stands in front of him, his name tag reading, 'Warden Hugo Strange'.

"I feel I should thank you. Capturing Bruce Wayne is so much easier than Batman. And now that we have you, Protocol Ten is almost ready to begin. It will be my legacy, a monument to your failure as well as that brutish monster. And if you try to stop me, I guarantee everyone will know your secret, as well as his." Hugo Strange says menacingly as he walks out of the dark room, leaving Bruce alone as the lights blast on, practically blinding Bruce with its intense light as a loudspeaker plays a message from Hugo Strange. "You are mine, new inmates. Let me introduce myself. I am Professor Hugo Strange and I am in charge of the Arkham City Facility. Up until this point, you have shown a total disregard for the law, for society and yourself."

Unwilling to listen anymore, Bruce tips the chair he's sitting in, which sets off an alarm as a TYGER guard rushes in. "What the hell are you doing? Did you think we wouldn't hear you?" He asks as he kicks at Bruce, who catches his leg, dislocates it, and headbutts him hard, managing to grab his walkie talkie as the guard writhes in pain. Bruce manages to swipe the encryption card from the walkie talkie as another TYGER guard storms in and slams Bruce's head against a TV monitor, dazing him as the guard drags him out of the room and tosses him onto the floor of an area filled with other inmates.

"Wayne! You're in line A. Move it, rich boy!" A TYGER guard shouts, aiming his assault rifle at Bruce, who slowly walks over to where he's supposed to go. Once he reaches the front of line A, a metal detector goes off, prompting a jumpy TYGER guard to hit Bruce with the butt of his rifle.

"Lower your weapons." Hugo Strange says, standing among two other TYGER guards, who have their guns aimed at Wayne. "Mr. Wayne will not be any trouble. Will you...Mr. Wayne?" He asks Bruce tauntingly as he looks down on him. "The cuffs can stay on. We don't want to make things too easy, do we?" He asks as Bruce is shoved into a chamber along with Jack Ryder and an unnamed man.

"Prepare for insertion!" A TYGER guard shouts as a door closes behind Bruce, trapping him with the two men.

"I can't believe I'm gonna die in here." The man says as Jack Ryder turns around and looks at Bruce Wayne.

"Bruce Wayne? Great." Jack Ryder mumbles. "There I was reporting on your crummy press conference, and now here we both are. I guess that'll teach you to get involved in politics, won't it?" He asks before looking away from Bruce.

"Listen to me carefully. When they open the door, do not panic. Stay close to me." Bruce sternly says, getting a look of bewilderment from Jack Ryder.

"You think I'm taking advice from some guy who's never even been in a fight?" Jack asks, not knowing who Bruce really is.

"Stay calm, Ryder. They're trying to scare us." Bruce says as one of the walls rises up, releasing them into Arkham City.

Ryder and the man ignore Bruce's advice and blindly run out. "Sorry, man. It's every man for himself!" Jack says, immediately getting ambushed by a couple of goons who incapacitate the unnamed man while a fat goon starts pummeling the defenseless Jack Ryder as three other men approach the still shackled Bruce Wayne, who easily subdues his assailants despite the cuffs. He then approaches the battered Jack Ryder.

"On your feet, Ryder." Bruce beckons before pulling him up. "I said, get up." He then drags Ryder towards a gate, only for it to open, revealing Penguin on the other side, as well as several of his men as a man hits Bruce from behind with a pipe, making him fall to his knees as he gets hit again, this time at the back of his head. As Bruce's vision begins to blur, Penguin stands over Bruce.

"Lights out, rich boy!" Penguin says as he stomps his foot to Bruce's face, knocking him out as Penguin's men drag his unconscious body deep into Arkham City.

* * *

-**Several Minutes Later**-

Bruce wakes up in an undisclosed location, still in shackles as he's dropped onto his knees in front of Penguin. "Wakey-wakey, Wayne!" Penguin taunts as Bruce slowly regains his senses. "Oh, what's up? Do you need me to call your butler? Or your big, green bodyguard?" Penguin taunts further.

Bruce's eyes readjust as he looks at the dwarfish man. "Cobblepot!"

"Aw, you remember me. I'm touched!" Penguin says sarcastically as he slides a gold knuckle braced on his left fist. "Your family destroyed mine, Wayne. This...well, let's just call this good, old-fashioned revenge." Penguin rears his arm back to punch Bruce, only for him to catch his arm and break his arm at the wrist. "Ahhh! Get him! Ahh! Hurt him! I think he's broken my bloody hand!" Penguin complains as his men fight Bruce, who eventually breaks the chains that limited his movement. After defeating Penguin's men and knocking Penguin himself out for good measure, he climbs to the roof of a building and contacts Alfred through a communications device built into his watch.

"Alfred, have you got my location?"

"_Only just, sir. There's more interference than usual_." Alfred replies.

"I need an immediate drop on the roof of the Ace Chemicals building. I'm on my way there now." Bruce says.

"_Of course. Shall I arrange for the other Master Bruce to join you_?" Alfred asks, referring to Bruce Banner.

"Yes. Arkham City might contain everyone we faced at the asylum last year. I'll probably need the muscle." Bruce says, figuring Hulk could be of great assistance again.

"_I'll relay the message, Master Bruce_." Alfred says as he ends the call.

* * *

-**Prince Manor**-

At a luxurious mansion sitting by a beautiful lake, Bruce Banner and Diana Prince sit in their room, playing with their adorable infant son Atreus when Bruce answers a phone call from Alfred. "Hey, Alfred. What's up?"

"Ah, Master Banner. I hate to interrupt you, but Master Wayne has been wrongfully locked up in Arkham City."

"The new mega-prison complex in the middle of Gotham?" Bruce asks.

"I'm afraid so, yes. He has asked that you join him. Says he'll need your 'muscle' to make it through the night."

"You mean the Hulk. Great. You know, I was really looking forward to spending the night here at home with my family." Bruce says, clearly not at all excited about being in a mega-prison full of the villains he defeated a year prior.

"And I apologize, but I'm sure it'll be over before you know it." Alfred says, hoping Bruce will consider it.

Bruce sighs as he nods. "Fine. I'm on my way." He says as he hangs up and walks over to Diana.

"You're leaving?" Diana asks, to which Bruce slowly nods in shame.

"I really, really wish I wasn't, Diana, but Alfred says Bruce is in trouble, and he might need my help. I'll be careful." He says as he kisses her cheek.

"Come back in one piece, my sweet." Diana says, hoping he'll be okay.

Bruce nods as he puts on his uniform pants and boots. "I always do, beautiful." He says before driving towards Arkham City.

* * *

-**Arkham City**-

**Ace Chemicals Building**

As Bruce Wayne shimmies along the side of the Ace Chemicals building, Alfred contacts him again. "_I watched your incarceration on the evening news. Was getting yourself arrested a part of your plan all along_?"

"Heh. Not exactly, although I did get some one-on-one time with Hugo Strange." Bruce says.

"_And how was that_?" Alfred inquires.

"Not good. He knows me and Bruce's identities. He also told me that something called Protocol Ten will make him famous. I can't leave Arkham City until I find out what it is." Bruce says with determination. As he gets closer to the roof, the Batwing drops a large metallic capsule onto the roof.

"_Did it arrive, sir_?" Alfred asks right after the capsule makes contact.

"Right on time. Where's Bruce Banner?"

"_My scanners show he's right outside the walls of Arkham City_."

* * *

-**Outside Arkham City**-

Bruce Banner parks his car outside the mega-prison and realizes the only way in...is through the sewers. He groans to himself as he enters the cluttered sewer and approaches a manhole cover that'll lead to right outside the Solomon-Wayne Courthouse.

* * *

-**Ace Chemicals Building Rooftop**-

Bruce Wayne makes it to the roof and presses his palm onto a scanner on the front of the capsule. It reads his genetic marker and opens, revealing a fresh Batsuit, which he puts on. As he looks over the area, he contacts Alfred. "Alfred, I took an encryption key from a TYGER guard. I'm going to hack into their communications." Batman says as he slides the card he took from the walkie talkie into his Cryptographic Sequencer, quickly finding and isolating the TYGER communications network, hearing a broadcast from a TYGER helicopter.

"_All units, this is AIR TYGER 4. We have confirmation that Prisoner 4011 is in the Courthouse. I repeat, Catwoman is in the Courthouse_."

"_Is she in danger_?" Hugo Strange asks, joining in on the broadcast.

"_Affirmative. Target is being held by Dent. We believe he intends to kill her. How should we proceed_?"

"_Hehehehe. Stand down. Let Two-Face have his fun_." Hugo Strange answers coldly, not caring what happens to Catwoman.

"_Understood_." The pilot says as he hovers the helicopter above the courthouse, not noticing Bruce Banner climbing out of the manhole in front of the courthouse, getting the attention of several inmates, who attack him, only for Bruce to transform and easily deal with them with a couple of punches.

"That doesn't sound good." Batman says in relation to Catwoman's current situation.

"_No, it does not. Mister Dent's predilection for all things may not bode well for Miss Kyle_." Alfred says.

"If there's one person in Arkham City who knows what's really going on, it's her." Batman says as he sees Hulk standing over the goons he took down. "Alfred, Hulk is in Arkham City. I'll fill him in on what's going on." He says as he glides down and meets up with his comrade. "Hulk."

Hulk looks down at his smaller ally. "**Bat. It's been a while**."

"Yes. Sorry to drag you into this, but I thought I'd need your help."

"**What do you need**?" Hulk asks as he crosses his arms.

"Catwoman. She's being held hostage by Two-Face in that courthouse. I'll need your help to rescue her." Batman says, to which Hulk nods.

"**Let's go save her**." Hulk says as the two enter the courthouse.

* * *

-**Solomon-Wayne Courthouse**-

Once inside, Hulk and Batman walk into a viewing platform, seeing a large congregation of Two-Face's henchmen in a trashed courtroom, with Two-Face standing on an elevated platform.

"The only way to get by in this place is to get ourselves some respect." Harvey says. "**Fear. That's how we get respect. Show them all how we do things**." Two-Face sneers. "We should be fair, though. This is a place of Justice, after all." Harvey says calmly. "**Screw justice. Kill her and they'll all fear us**." Two-Face snaps back as he looks at his supporters. "Bring out the defendant!" He orders as a curtain drops into a tank of acid, revealing Catwoman, who is hanging above the acid upside down.

"You certainly know how to keep a girl hanging, Harv." Catwoman suggestively says. "Hey...have you had some work done?" She teases, only to be slapped across her perfect face by Two-Face.

"That's for stealing from us. No one steals from us!" Two-Face says angrily.

"Uh. I'm sorry. I've been a bad kitty. Untie me..and I'll make it up to you." Catwoman seductively offers.

"Let's see if the coin thinks you're telling the truth." Two-Face says as he flips his trademark coin and slaps it onto the back of his scarred hand, revealing it came up heads, meaning that she gets to live a bit longer. "This court is now in session."

* * *

-**Viewing Platform**-

"**We have to help her**...!" Hulk says in a hushed tone.

"A forward assault will get her killed." Batman warns.

"**Grr**...**if Wolverine was here, he'd just cut all those idiots down in seconds, Bat**."

No, Hulk. We're heroes. Heroes don't kill, no matter how simple it'd make things." Batman says sternly. "Wait here. When I give the word, smash through the glass and do your thing. And no killing." Batman orders as he heads up, getting a nod from Hulk, who stays low as he observes the action. Batman takes out a sniper above and softly whispers to Hulk. "Now...!"

Hulk grins as he smashes through one of the windows, roaring loudly, startling the henchmen as Batman drops down to join in on the fun.

"Well! If it isn't Batman and his pet!" Two-Face exclaims as his men are easily bested by the two veteran heroes. Suddenly, Two-Face shoots Batman, knocking him over as he marches to Catwoman, pointing his gun at her. "Heads or tails, kitty cat?" He mocks.

"Which one lets me out of here alive?" Catwoman asks as Two-Face flips his coin again, this time coming up tails.

"Not this one. Time to die!"

"I vote for a stay of execution." Catwoman retorts as she uses her claws to cut free and slash the good side of Two-Face's face, making him tumble off of the platform and onto the courtroom floor.

"No gun, Harv? Shame. This is gonna hurt!" She says as she gets her claws out.

"Two guns, bitch!" Two-Face retorts, pulling a spare gun and aiming it at her, only for Hulk to wrap his hand around Harvey's face, making him miss his shot as he feebly clutches Hulk's fingers.

"Nice timing, big guy..." Catwoman seductively replies to Hulk's timely rescue.

"**Like I'd let you have all the fun**..." Hulk says back with a smile.

"We figured you could use our help, Selina." Batman says as he stands up.

"Hehe. You're right. I think I chipped a nail." Catwoman jokes.

"Funny." Batman says as Catwoman jumps down.

"So what do you need, Mr. Detective? And Mr. Hulk?" She asks as she struts past the two.

"Protocol 10. What do you know, Selina?" Batman asks.

"Never heard of it." She replies with a shrug.

"That's not what we need to hear. What about Strange?" Batman asks.

"I don't trust him. He's been missing for years, comes back, and is suddenly in charge of running Arkham City. Rumor is...he's been working with Joker, planning something very special just for the two of you. Maybe that's 'Protocol 10'?" Catwoman says, unaware that a sniper had his cross hair aimed right at Catwoman.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little bat, watch me kill your favorite cat!" A familiar voice says with a joyful giggle.

"...The ex-District Attorney here said something about-" Catwoman began to say before Hulk pulls her out of the sniper's line of sight, with her landing on top of him. "What the hell?" She exclaims as the laser pointer disappears. "This place is dangerous. I like it. You expecting a kiss, green?" She asks playfully, to which Hulk blushes.

"**M-Maybe**..." Hulk replies as Catwoman gets off of him, giggling slightly.

"That was Joker. You're not safe here, Selina. No one is." Batman says.

"Nine lives, remember?" Catwoman teases as she leaves the room.

"I need to locate where the bullet entered the court and where it impacted." Batman says to himself as he looks at the bullet hole in the window before seeing an impact crater on the floor, quickly using his detective vision to triangulate the angle the bullet was fired, as well as where it could've been fired from. "The trajectory the bullet travelled will lead us to the shooter." Batman says as the two head to the most likely place the bullet was fired from: The Gotham Cathedral.


	2. Deja Vu

-**Outside**-

Hulk and Batman walk out of the courthouse and head towards the Gotham Cathedral, with Hulk leaping across buildings and Batman using his athletic skills as well as his Grapnel Gun to scale buildings before making it to the front entrance of the Cathedral, overhearing some thugs bring up Harley Quinn. After the two easily dispatch the goons, Batman contacts Alfred.

"We're at the church. It looks like Harley Quinn is inside." Batman says into the communication device in his cowl.

"_That dreadful woman is no doubt setting a trap for the two of you_." Alfred says warily.

"Don't worry, Alfred. Quinn never was too smart. We'll be okay." Batman says as he ends the call.

"**Just like old times**..." Hulk says with a sigh.

"Quinn will underestimate us, Hulk. Remember, no killing." Batman says sternly.

"**Heard you the first time, Bat. At best, she'll get a bruise**." Hulk says as he and Batman walk into the Cathedral. Once inside, Harley Quinn backflips over some of her henchmen, charging towards the two heroes.

"Coming through!" Harley shouts as she runs at the two, priming up a kick, but Hulk catches her leg and lightly tosses her to the floor. "Ow!" She groans.

"**Deja vu, eh, Quinn**?" Hulk remarks, remembering what happened the last time she tried the same exact move on them a year prior at the asylum.

"Let the lady go, you freak! Or these people all get a bullet in their heads!" One of the henchmen says, pointing to various medical officials that they've taken captive.

"I think you should do what he says." Harley says as she picks herself up off the floor and dusts herself off. "It'd be a shame to get blood all over my nice new outfit. What do you think, Bat-Brain and Musclehead? Like it?" Harley asks, wanting the heroes' opinion on her costume.

"**Yep**." Hulk says with a smile.

"What am I saying? Of course you do. The big man does. Who wouldn't?" Harley asks in a giddily way. "So anyway, here's the deal. Mister J is really not up to a visit right now. He's not feeling himself...Well, actually, he was earlier, but that's not what I meant." Harley says, to which Hulk makes a slight grimace of disgust. "He's not doing so good and that idiot Doctor I sent from here didn't help. I've seen more smarts from these bozos." Harley says, pointing at her henchmen. "I've gotta run, boys. If they try anything funny, kill them!" She says as she heads for the front door, blowing a kiss at the two heroes before departing.

Once Harley leaves, the goons keep their guns trained on the heroes. "Don't you move. Just stay where you are...and this can all end quickly." One of the goons says shakily.

Hulk grins as he prepares to attack, only for Batman to stop him. He uses his detective vision, noticing several hostages being held at gunpoint; they will die if Hulk attacks. "Hulk, no. They have hostages, remember? A forward assault will get them killed. We need to be smart about this."

"**What do you suggest, a game of hide-and-seek**?" Hulk asks, which gives Batman an idea.

"Hold on." Batman says as he tosses a smoke pellet on the ground, temporarily obscuring the thugs vision while Hulk and Batman escape to several reinforced gargoyle statues above them. "Good thing these gargoyles can hold Hulk's weight." Batman says to himself. "They don't know where we are. Good. Let's keep it that way. Time to survey the room, plan out our tactics." Batman activates his detective vision again to begin a strategy. "Hmm...four thugs, all armed, two hostages. This is gonna be easy." He says into his earpiece, which Hulk hears.

"**What's the plan, Bat**?" Hulk asks as Batman looks at one of the hostages, who is being held at gunpoint behind a confessional booth.

"There. That idiot thinks he's safe behind the confessional. He's just making it easier for one of us to get in behind him. That's the one you'll take down."

Hulk nods with a light smile. "**What about you**?"

Batman looks at the other hostage taker, who is standing under a wooden scaffolding. "There. I can glide to the scaffolding above him without being seen and take him down from there."

"**Let's save some hostages, then**." Hulk says as Batman glides to the scaffolding while Hulk gets behind the confessional booth. The two heroes than take down the hostage takers simultaneously, leaving the other two thugs alone as they nervously look around, fearing for their life as Hulk jumps upward and presses his palms to the goons' faces as they fall backwards, knocking them out cold. "**Rrrr**...**I hate holding back**." He says, grumbling at the idea of holding back his unparalleled strength when dealing with ordinary criminals.

"It's more preferable than having their blood on your hands, Hulk. Trust me on that." Batman says before turning his attention on the former hostages. "The room is secure, you're safe now!" He says as the two heroes untie the hostages before rushing into the tower.

After using their athletic skills, the two heroes reach the top of the tower, which has two mannequins dressed like Joker with TV's for heads, several blocks of TNT, and a sniper rifle.

"There's the gun. Looks like it was being remotely controlled by Joker." Batman says as he uses his detective vision to scan the rifle. As he does this, the TV's turn on, showing a recording of Joker.

"**Yeah, but from where**?" Hulk asks as he looks at the TV's.

"Well, look who it is. I haven't seen you boys for, how long has it been? Let's see, there was an asylum, some monsters, and oh, that's right, you left me to die."

"**No we didn't. We locked you up**." Hulk remarks.

"Now you probably don't remember it that way, but who cares?" Joker says, continuing his monologue. "You just need to worry about the bombs. Hurry up now. Clocks ticking."

"**Bombs? What does he**-?" Hulk asks, only for the TV's to display a countdown from five. Without a second thought, Hulk and Batman hurl themselves out the window, narrowly escaping as the explosives go off.

"Alfred, I've got a lock on the signal used to remotely control the sniper rifle. Joker's behind this." Batman says into his cowl as he perches on a billboard.

"_Was there ever any doubt_?" Alfred asks in an almost sarcastic tone.

"**Not really**." Hulk replies.

"The radio signal should lead us right to him." Batman says.

"_Good luck, sirs_." Alfred says as he ends the call.

* * *

-**Later**-

Hulk and Batman trace the signal, ending up at the Sionis Steel Mill in Amusement Mile, which no doubt was Joker's territory. Unfortunately, the place was crawling with armed goons, which made getting inside the Steel Mill problematic for the Caped Crusader, so he calls Alfred.

"Alfred, we need to find a route into the Sionis Steel Mill."

"_Have you tried the front door, sir_?" Alfred asks, to which Hulk snickers.

"Why didn't we think of that?" Batman jokingly asks.

"_It was obviously too easy. Let's see. If all other access routes are locked down, the only way in would be...no...It's suicide_." Alfred says.

"The main chimney." Batman says, already knowing that's the best way in. "Okay then." However, upon investigating, Batman realized the chimney was too small for Hulk. "Bad news. The chimney is too small for you."

"**So I'm supposed to stay out here while you have all the fun**?" Hulk asks.

"Pretty much." Batman replies.

"**Grrr**...**fine**." Hulk groans as Batman grapples up and into the chimney, landing on a tightrope that dangled above the smelting metal. A few minutes later, Batman crawls through the grating underneath the floor, overhearing Harley talking to a large group of thugs from a raised office.

"I promised you some entertainment, right, boys?" She asks, to which they loudly cheer in answer as a medic sits on her knees next to Harley.

"Please...I did my best." She pleads.

"Well, you should have tried harder." Harley says before kicking the medic down to the ground floor. "That useless quack has failed Mister J. And you know what that means." Harley says as the goons chant 'Kill' over and over. "Oh, I think we can do better than that. Get in here, Mister Hammer!"

A large, one-armed man wielding a steel sledgehammer walks in and continuously slams the large weapon downward, barely missing the cowering doctor, who ends up in a corner, trapped.

"No! Please!" She begs hysterically. Right as Mister Hammer is about to score a direct hit on the doctor, Harley Quinn calls out, making him stop.

"Stop! Change of plans. Take her to the smelting chamber. Mister J wants this one to suffer a little longer! The rest of you, get out! You know what to do! Go get the snowman and bring him back here right now! He's going to pay for screwing over Mister J. I need him back here like yesterday!" Harley says as Mister Hammer drags the doctor away while the vast group of thugs leaves the Steel Mill, running straight into Hulk, who grins as he attacks the thugs, making sure to hit them lightly as he fights them, managing to hold the massive door open long enough to get inside as it slams shut behind him.

"**Found my own way in. The easy way**." Hulk remarks as he helps Batman deal with some spare goons. "**Need me for anything else**?" He asks, to which Batman shakes his head.

"Not at the moment. I'll contact you if I need help." Batman says as Hulk nods before forcing the front door open and leaves. After that, Harley peers down from the office.

"What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be dead!" She complains. "Where's the other one? The handsome one with all the green?"

"I don't need him to take you down, Quinn." Batman says in response.

"Whatever, Bat-Brain. Well, there's no way you're getting to Mister J. We're safe and sound up here. You can just stay down there and burn!" She says meanly as she walks away, the door closing behind her, keeping Batman from entering.

"Alfred, Joker's holed up in the manager's office in the Steel Mill."

"_I'm sure you'll find a way, sir_." Alfred says in reply.

"Of course I will. Some of his goons dragged a doctor away. I'm going to find her first, then deal with Joker." Batman says with determination as he hangs up, heading off to save the doctor.

* * *

-**Smelting Chamber**-

Batman enters a large room and turns on his detective vision, highlighting several armed goons and the doctor, the latter of whom is tied to a chair while the goons walk around the room, clearly expecting Batman. A few minutes pass as Batman makes short work of them, silently knocking them out cold and hanging some of them uprise down from heightened structures as he unties the doctor.

"Can you stand?" Batman asks as the doctor stands up.

"Give me a second." She says as she rubs her wrists. "What's wrong with these people? That crazy woman thinks I can fix the Joker."

"What's wrong with him?"

"There's something in his blood, some kind of toxin. It's killing him." She says as she looks at him. "He blames something called 'Titan'."

"Titan?" Batman repeats in surprise.

"Yeah. Do you know what he's talking about? He kept going on about his last laugh."

A mannequin of Harley with an enlarged bobble head chimes in on the conversation. "_Uh-uh, doc. Isn't that information supposed to be confidential_?"

"What is happening? How does she know what we're saying?" The doctor asks, slightly alarmed as Batman notices the light of a welding torch behind the door he used to enter the room. The two were now trapped in the room. "Well...at least they won't be getting in. We're safe, right?" She asks Batman, who approaches a glowing canister and pulls out a small piece of technology. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I need to get out of here. Someone needs to stop Joker." He says in answer as he fuses the technology to one of his gadgets. "Stay here. You'll be safe." He says assuredly.

"You sure?" The doctor asks, not really feeling a vibe of safety.

"If you hear anyone coming, hide. I'll be back." Batman says as he leaves.

* * *

-**Manager's Office Area**-

Harley opens the door and looks down at Batman, noticing the new gadget he built. "How did you get out of the smelting chamber, B-man? What did you build? Tell me, tell me!" Harley says like an impatient child before hearing Joker call out to her.

"Harley! Get back in here! I think I'm dying!" Joker said hoarsely.

"Now see what you've done! Scram, B-man! Coming, Mister J!" Harley says as she runs out of Batman's view, once again shutting the door.

Batman shakes his head as he uses the gadget to electromagnetically pull a crane hook back and launch it forward, making it latch onto the door as he reverses the polarity of the electricity, tearing the door off the office.

"What's wrong with you, B-man?!" Harley exclaims at the destruction. "You come into Mister J's home and start smashing it to pieces? Don't you know he's sick?!" She asks as Batman grapples up to the doorway, only to be kicked in the face by the one-armed man from before, making Batman fall back down as the large man jumps down to ground level to fight him. "Surprise, B-man! Meet Mister Hammer. He's going to teach you some manners!" Harley says loudly as more henchmen join the fight. Even with Mister Hammer backing them up, they're no match against Batman's superior skills as he takes them all down, including Mister Hammer. Seconds after that, Harley cries out as Batman can hear the faint sound of a flatlining EKG. "No!" Harley cries out as Batman grapples up to the office, finally seeing Joker, who is sitting limp in a wheelchair with a breathing mask on his face. "Why, why, why, why, why?!" Harley asks as she sobs at the lifeless body of Joker, before looking at Batman with intense hate. "You!"

"Get out of my way, Quinn." Batman says as if he has no time to deal with her melodrama.

"Leave us alone, B-man...Just leave me with him..." Harley pleads pathetically.

"I said _move_!" Batman says sternly as he quite harshly pulls Harley away and tosses her onto the hardwood floor as he scans Joker with his detective vision, his life signs labeling him as deceased.

"This is all your fault! You've hounded him for years, beat him to a pulp, and for _what_? Why are you so mean?!" Harley asks coldly, to which Batman simply looks at her and doesn't say anything.

Two seconds later, Joker jumps onto Batman's back and presses a rebreather to his face, making him inhale a green gas that disorients the Caped Crusader. "Surprise! Hehahahahaha!" Joker cackles as Batman pushes him off. "You fell for the old 'fake Joker gag', Batman!" Joker says tauntingly as Harley readies a metal baseball bat.

"Batter up!" Harley says as she whacks Batman several times before finally hitting him right in the face, knocking him out cold.

* * *

-**Author's Note**-

**I kind of struggled on whether or not to have Hulk stay in the Steel Mill until I realized that Harley would probably be unable to knock Hulk out as well, so I wrote in Hulk leaving to wander Arkham City.**


	3. Sometimes Blood Kills

Elsewhere in Arkham City, Catwoman perches on the edge of a tall building, her inquisitive eyes trained on a large metal door labeled, 'Confiscated Goods Vault'.

"Hmm...looks like the detective will be busy with the Joker for a while. Good." Catwoman says to herself. "Gives this kitty some time to play." She says, looking at the claws on her gloves. "So, what next? Help tall, brooding and handsome...or help myself to all the loot Professor Strange has locked up in that vault of his?" She ponders, unable to come to a decision. "I know. Difficult choice, right?" She then pulls out her phone and looks at it. "Hmmmm, what will it be? Find Croc and have him rip a hole in the vault? Ask Penguin for some explosives? Hmm, not my style." She then notices a flower shop with some familiar looking vines sprouting out. "I always prefer a woman's touch in these situations. Stay where you are, Ivy. I'm coming to get you." Catwoman says, not noticing Hulk wandering the streets as she jumps across rooftops to reach her apartment. "I need to get my kit from my apartment. No way can I face Ivy without my things. I'd be _naked_ without them."

After dealing with some pervy goons who wanted to 'have some fun' with her, Catwoman reaches her apartment and enters through the window. "It's good to be home." She says as she exits, carrying some caltrops and bolas. "Okay, Selina. Time to find Ivy. Let's hope she's forgiven me. Pfft, of course she has. She wouldn't hold a grudge. Not on me..." As Catwoman leaves, she overhears Hulk fighting some thugs, winning once again as Catwoman smiles and jumps down to the street, looking up at him. "All these years, and you still put on quite the show." She says seductively, putting her hand on her hip.

"**Says the hot woman in the skintight outfit**." Hulk remarks with a grin as he crosses his arms.

"What can I say? It shows off my curves." She says with a cute giggle.

"**Among other things**." Hulk remarks, sneaking a peek at Catwoman's breasts.

"What can I say? Men _love_ to look at my goods..." Catwoman says seductively, rubbing her gloved hands along her body as well as her big breasts and her shapely butt.

**"Heh. No argument there. What are you doing here**?" Hulk asks as he sits on a crumpled car.

"Well, I was on my way to see Ivy, get her to help me break into Strange's vault-"

"**Wait. Ivy? Ivy's alive? I thought she died at the asylum**." Hulk says in genuine surprise at Ivy still living as he stands up.

"Nope. She's alive and...somewhat well. I'm on my way to ask for her help. Would you...?"

"**Like to come with**?" Hulk finishes, to which Catwoman nods. "**Why**?"

"Well, we are friends, last time I checked. Plus, Ivy...might be holding a grudge."

"**What'd you do**..?" Hulk asks reluctantly, thinking Catwoman must've done something _pretty_ bad.

"I...might've forgotten to water a plant of hers." She says almost as if she was ashamed of it.

"**Oof. Bad kitty cat**." Hulk remarks, to which Catwoman lightly giggles in embarrassment.

"Yeah...I could use some backup." She says. "Just in case."

Hulk sighs as he looks at her. "**Why not? Got nothing else to do here**."

Catwoman smiles. She always liked to hang out with Hulk, especially if she got plenty of opportunities to tease and seduce him. "Alright then. Let's go see the other green person...besides Croc."

"**Croc is in Arkham City too**?" Hulk asks, to which Catwoman nods. "**Just...fantastic! Who's next, Calendar Man**?"

* * *

-**Ivy's Hideout**-

Ivy and Hulk enter an abandoned building of some kind that is covered in overgrown vines and various types of flora.

"**Ivy's a real plant lover**..." Hulk softly says as he looks at the overgrowth of plants.

"That's a mild understatement." Catwoman remarks slyly. "Hello? Ivy? You here?" She asks, Poison Ivy's ethereal voice calling out in response.

"You shouldn't have come here! Mm...Hulk. Old friend. Long time, no see...again." Ivy says as she appears behind some bushes, smiling at Hulk, but sneering at Catwoman.

"Oh, come on. You're not seriously going to hold that against me forever, are you?" Catwoman asks exasperatedly.

"You killed them all!" Ivy yells at Catwoman accusingly.

"Oh, they were just flowers, Ivy. I'll buy you some new ones." Catwoman says before a vine bursts through the floor and wraps around her legs, pulling her to a lower level of the building.

"**Ouch**." Hulk replies to Catwoman as he looks at Ivy, slowly walking up to her. "**Ivy...I thought you were dead**."

"No need to apologize, my beautiful, strong green man. Like I said...you could never hurt me. It's her I'm mad at." Ivy says sweetly to him before looking at Catwoman with pure hatred.

"Come on, Red. Can't we just-?" Catwoman begins to say as a plant pod bursts open, releasing a bearded inmate, as well as several large inmates, their eyes glowing green. They were being controlled by Ivy. "Pammy, here's an idea. If you want a boyfriend, how about the dating route? Beats this voodoo crap."

As Catwoman fights the men, Ivy cackles as Hulk and her watch the fight. "I've spent weeks perfecting the toxins that will destroy your pathetic meat sack of a body."

"**Personally, I think she's got a great body**." Hulk says to himself as Catwoman climbs to the top floor after beating the henchmen.

"Look, Red, I just need your help." Catwoman says in desperation.

"Never..." Ivy says seductively as a long, thorn covered vine wraps around her, pinning her arms behind her back as it hoists her into the air, dangling the sexy cat burglar upside down as Ivy approaches her. "You've got some nerve, Selina. Coming here after what you've done."

* * *

-**Sionis Steel Mill**-

**Manager's Office**

Batman's vision starts to blur as he comes to. Half an hour has passed since Batman was knocked unconscious by Harley. As he awakens, Harley approaches him and reaches for his mask, only for Joker to call out.

"Get back here, Harley!" He says with authority.

"But I wanna know who he is, sweetie..." She whines.

"No one's who they say they are, my dear. Why spoil the fun?" Joker asks as he coughs.

"It was all a lie. There's nothing wrong with you." Batman says, thinking he has everything figured out.

"Nice of you to say, but you of all people should know..." Joker says as he comes into the light, his face covered in hideous scars and boils. "...There's plenty wrong with me." He finishes with a sickly grin. "Take my blood for example. Hehe. I wish somebody would. This stuff is killing me!" He says as he holds a small vial of his own blood, presenting it to Batman, who is tied to a wheelchair.

"Why should I care?" Batman asks.

"Hehehehe! Because now...there's a teeny little bit of me in you too, Bats." Joker says, prompting Batman to look at several blood bags filtering its contents into his body. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me it's not what you always wanted." Joker teases as he leans closer to Batman's face. "Look, we're running out of time. I need your help. I nearly had a cure; it was _so close_ and then it was taken from me."

"So we both die. I'm fine with that." Batman says coldly.

"Are you?" Joker asks as he looks behind his back at Batman. "Imagine it, sucking down that last breath, knowing that Gotham is doing the same."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, didn't I say?" Joker teases as he sits on Batman's lap. "I've spent weeks shipping samples of my blood to emergency rooms all over the city." Joker explains as he walks away from Batman again.

"So that's Protocol Ten. Poison Gotham. I expected more. Even from you, Joker."

"Protocol Ten?" Joker asks, letting out a fake gasp of shock. "Never heard of it." He approaches Batman and puts his mouth to his ear. "Hold tight..." He whispers before kicking the wheelchair out the window. "I'll be in touch!" Joker yells out as Batman plummets to the ground below.

* * *

-**Later**-

Several minutes pass as Batman wakes up after hitting the ground. He groans as he slowly stands up, hearing a carnival ringtone coming from a cell phone taped to his chest. He tears it off and answers it.

"I'm listening." Batman says as Joker appears on the screen.

"Is someone feeling a little down?" Joker asks teasingly, though Batman isn't amused.

"What do you want?" Batman asks, wanting him to get to the point.

"Oh, Bats, cheer up. It won't kill you...Oops. Hehehehehe!"

"Where is the cure? Who has it?"

"I had our cold-hearted friend Mister Freeze making it. But he's gone dark on me."

"I'll find him."

"I bet you-" Joker says before being cut off as Batman crushes the phone by squeezing it with his hand and sliding the phone's SD card into his gauntlet.

"Alfred. Joker's poisoned me. He may have poisoned Gotham too. Mister Freeze has the only cure." Batman says into his cowl.

"_What are you waiting for, then? He's in Arkham City. Find him_!" Alfred says sternly, not wanting Batman to waste any time.

"If only it were that simple. He'll be somewhere cold. He needs to be kept at sub-zero temperatures to survive."

"_Hmmm. I don't wish to worry you...but it is the middle of winter out there_." Alfred says worriedly.

"I noticed. I've calibrated the cowl to track heat signatures. I'll find the coldest point in Arkham City." Batman says as he hangs up and presses a button on his belt. "That'll activate a device on Hulk's belt that'll give him my location. It also doubles as a panic button. He'll come running to me like a loyal dog." Batman says to himself as he glides across the skyline to track Arkham City's coldest locations.

* * *

-**Ivy's Hideout**-

As Ivy contemplates how to torture Catwoman, Hulk's belt begins to beep, signaling him to go to Batman's aid. "**Damn...Sorry, ladies...but I'm needed elsewhere**." Hulk says.

"Hey! Don't you dare leave me here! Ivy will kill me!" Catwoman shouts in protest.

"No. I'll simply torture you..." Ivy says cruelly, smiling at Catwoman's predicament.

"**See? She won't kill you...I hope**." Hulk says as he approaches the main door.

"Hulk." Ivy says, making Hulk look back at the green-skinned seductress. "It's great to see you again, my love." She says with a suggestive wink, making the green-skinned goliath blush slightly as he nods.

"**You too, Ivy. Don't kill her, okay**?" Hulk asks.

"As you wish...my dear." Ivy says seductively, making Hulk blush once more as he departs, leaving Catwoman at the 'mercy' of Ivy as several vines approach Catwoman, wiggling slightly.

"_Hulk_!" Catwoman screams loudly as Hulk exits the building and leaps towards the Steel Mill, but Batman is no longer there...

* * *

-**GCPD Building**-

Batman arrives at a seemingly abandoned GCPD building and enters, coming across several of Penguin's men, who are all armed as they pace around a forensic's lab. Several minutes pass as Batman takes down all but one of the men, who drops his gun in a sign of surrender as Batman clutches his throat.

"Where's Freeze?" Batman asks as he lifts the thug off the ground.

"He's in the museum. Penguin's got him!" The goon answers almost immediately, clearly fearing what Batman would do to him if he didn't say anything.

"_I'll have to cut that tongue out of your head, boy. I don't like people tellin' tales on me_." Penguin says angrily through an earpiece on the goon's left ear.

"No! I'm sorry, Mr. Cobblepot. He made me tell him." The goon protests fearfully to his boss as Batman knocks him out and tosses his unconscious body on the floor as Penguin's voice blares through the building's loudspeakers.

"_You can have him, Batman. I'm safe and sound here in my museum. Try and get me if you want. I've got plenty of surprises ready for tou if you do, starting right now._"

As Batman is just about to reach the front door of the building, a security gate slams in front of the door, trapping him inside as he immediately calls Alfred.

"Alfred." Batman says into his communication unit in his cowl.

"_Hello, sir. Have you retrieved the cure from Mister Freeze_?" Alfred asks, unaware of Batman's current predicament.

"No. There were complications. Penguin has got his hands on Freeze and he's trapped me in the GCPD building."

"_You do realize that you will actually die if you don't get this cure soon_?" Alfred reminds him.

"Thanks for reminding me, Alfred. I'll get out of here with plenty of time to spare."

"_And how will you manage that, sir_?" Alfred asks.

"The _other_ Bruce..." Batman answers as he hangs up. A loud thud is heard outside the building, followed by the door being torn from its hinges by Hulk, who also lifts the security gate high enough for Batman to exit. "What took you so long?"

"**Got held up. Sue me**." Hulk remarks. "**Where are we going now**?"

"The Museum. Penguin has Mister Freeze locked up there." Batman says as he walks out of the GCPD building.

"**What do we need that walking icebox for**?" Hulk asks, unaware of Batman's current state of health.

"Joker poisoned me with his toxic blood. Freeze has the only cure. If I dont get it in time, I'll die."

"**Ah**. **Let's go get him, then**." Hulk says as the two heroes head for the Museum.

* * *

-**Author's Note**-

**I think we all know what Ivy will do to Catwoman while Hulk and Batman are too busy dealing with Protocol Ten...**


	4. Grounding the Flightless Bird

Hulk and Batman use their skills to make their way across Arkham City, eventually reaching the Museum, Penguin's home base. They get spotted by some of Penguin's goons, but easily beat them down with their superior skill and strength.

"**It's stupid how many times they attack us**." Hulk remarks as he crosses his arms.

"Agreed. You think they'd learn by now." Batman says in response before the two head inside the museum.

* * *

-**Museum**-

Once inside, the two heroes hear an announcer on the loudspeaker. "_Welcome to the Cyrus Pinkney Natural History Institute. All visitors must be searched as part of our ongoing commitment to keep you safe and protect the unique collection we have on display_." The announcement says.

"**Clearly, it's been a while since this place had visitors**..." Hulk says softly as he looks at the decrepit state of the museum.

Batman says nothing as they walk forward, only for some metal bars to pop up, stopping them from going any further as Penguin comes onto the loudspeaker. "I don't think I want you breaking into my home, Batman. Same goes for you, Hulk."

"**Too bad, bird boy**." Hulk retorts as he approaches the metal bars and easily tears them down, rendering the blockade pointless and nothing more than a slight inconvenience for the two heroes. As Batman activates his cowl communicator to contact Alfred, it comes up all staticky and incoherent.

"Something's blocking communication back at the Batcave. Penguin must be using military grade communication disrupters. The only way to solve this problem is to destroy them." Batman says.

"**Yeah, but where are the disrupters? Something tells me they're not all in one place**." Hulk says to him.

"Don't know...but I think I know how to find them." Batman says as he tunes his tracking equipment to locate the disrupters. "Let's go." He says as the heroes head outside.

* * *

-**Outside**-

Batman and Hulk traverse across the rooftops of Arkham City, coming across the first disrupter, which is on a large rooftop with some Penguin henchmen, who were clearly tasked with protecting it. Hulk grins as he lands on the roof, doing a dramatic roll as he easily contends with the thugs as Batman glides down to the roof.

"**Too slow, Bat**." Hulk says competitively.

"It's not a race, Hulk." Batman says as he looks at the large disrupter. "Hmm. The disrupter has three terminals attached. We'll need to destroy all three to shut it down."

"**Or we could just do this**." Hulk says as he lifts the cumbersome machine over his head and drops it onto the streets below, completely destroying it.

"Nice work. That's one jammer down. We should look for more." Batman says as the two resume their search for more jammers. It doesn't take them long to find the next jammer, which in being guarded by four men with guns.

"**Too easy**..." Hulk whispers as he leaps on the roof and lets the men shoot him, their bullets harmlessly bouncing off of him. "**Idiots**." Hulk retorts as he takes the men out as if they were flies. He then approaches the jammer and punches it multiple times until it was nothing but a pile of scrap metal. After that, Batman overhears a call between Penguin and his men.

"I just lost the signal to the jammers up top. What's going on?!" Penguin says angrily.

"We've only just managed to get below ground." A henchmen says in response.

"Just set the jammer up wherever you are. Do it now! Batman and Hulk are probably on their way down there! Understand?" Penguin asks impatiently.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Cobblepot." The goon says as the call ends.

"The signal's blocked again. Sounds like Penguin's final jammer was activated somewhere underneath Arkham City."

Hulk growls. "**Great. We gotta go underground**..." He mumbles to himself as the two heroes head underground via an old subway entrance.

* * *

-**Subway Tunnels**-

After several minutes of traversing through the maze-like tunnels, Batman and Hulk find the final jamming device, but it's currently being guarded by several of Penguin's men, all of which are armed with assault rifles. Batman flips on his detective vision, but it's all distorted.

"The interference is stronger in here; one of the thugs must be using a portable jamming device." Batman says, to which Hulk nods with a grunt.

"**Leave it to me, Bat**." Hulk softly says as he dispatches the goons, punching and body slamming them around until the room goes silent. "**Clear**!" Hulk calls out.

"Good. Destroy the jammer!" Batman orders to his green-skinned companion.

Hulk grunts in response to this as he easily lifts one of the subway train cars over his head and slams it into the jammer, completely decimating it. "**Too easy**..." Hulk scoffs.

"That was the last jammer. We should be able to get into the museum, now that my communication equipment is back online and fully operational." Batman says.

Hulk nods. "**Finally. It's time I get to smash some more idiots**..."

* * *

-**Museum**-

Hulk and Batman enter the museum, now able to waltz right in without a problem. However, it doesn't take long for a new problem to pop up, as the heroic duo see a man being harassed by some of Penguin's men, one of which is wearing body armor, though Hulk scoffs at this, as the heroes easily contend with the minor threat before attending to the man that was being harassed.

"You're safe now." Batman says assuredly.

"Thank God!" The man exclaims with gratitude.

"You may want to hold off on thanking Him for a bit. Who are you?"

"Sorry. I'm a cop. Gordon sent us in here." The man says. "I'm from the 13th Precinct, part of a strike team. Been in here since the beginning."

"**Gordon is putting his own men in this dump?**" Hulk asks himself, grunting slightly.

"If Gordon sent you, I assume you know the code?" Batman asks.

"Yeah. He said...Oh, man, what was it?" He asks as he struggles to remember what the code was before it finally came back to him. "It's 'Sarah'! The code is 'Sarah'."

"**Simple code**.." Hulk says in response.

"You're safe, officer." Batman assures the man again.

"It's Jones, Batman. Elvis Jones." The man says. "Gordon sent ten of us in here. Hopefully they're okay as well."

"**Pretty stupid of the old man to send you in to begin with**..." Hulk says, pointing out the absurdity of Gordon sending people into Arkham City.

* * *

-**Gladiator Pit**-

After leaving Elvis Jones behind, Hulk and Batman enter a section of the museum that resembles a gladiator arena, with large groups of thugs cheering as the two enter the room. Above the arena, a man limps towards them, his arm reaching out to them.

"Help...me!" He weakly says before groaning and falling down dead. Behind him was none other than Penguin, who was wielding an umbrella with a gun inside it, hi broken hand wrapped in bandages as he cackles at his kill. Hulk growls at the small man while Batman readies a batarang.

"Eh-eh. I wouldn't do that if I was you." Penguin says in warning.

"**You ain't him, bird boy**." Hulk retorts.

"True, monster. So true. Boys...show them what we got." After Penguin says this a large one-armed man-very similar to Mr. Hammer, walks into view, clutching another one of the officers by the neck. "So...you two here for the cops...the iceman...or me?"

"We only came here for Freeze and the hostages. But now...we're taking you down too." Batman says threateningly.

"Oh! Aren't you two scary?" Penguin sarcastically remarks, not taking either of the two heroes seriously.

"**You're about to find out, shorty. Now shut up; you're giving me a headache**!" Hulk roars out, annoyed by Penguin's constant talking and cackling.

"Am I?" Penguin asks as one of his men lights a cigar for him. "Listen. I'm what you might call a collector. If someone wants it, I'd like to think I got it. If I don't have it, I'll get it. So, here's the thing. Back there, I've got a cabinet with both your names on it, just waiting to be filled. As luck would have it, here you both are, standing exactly where I want you. Hahahaha! So...you going to be good boys and give up nicely?"

"You're not giving orders here anymore, Cobblepot." Batman says sternly as he glares at Penguin.

Penguin smiles. "I was hoping you'd say that. Look around you." Penguin says, prompting Hulk and Batman to see the large groups of thugs, separated from the main arena by security gates. "This horrible bunch of psychopaths are all begging to join up with me. Unfortunately for them, I only take the best, and today, best means whoever can kill you two. Come on out, lads. It's initiation time!"

The security gates open as the horde of goons rush in, prompting Hulk and Batman to get into fighting positions. Hulk grins as he effortlessly plows through the thugs while Batman swiftly deals with his own band of goons, punching and kicking them while Hulk simply punches them and tosses them across the room. Once they've all been dealt with, Penguin yells in frustration as he drops a cage into the arena, narrowly missing Batman. Much to the heroes' shock, a Titan monster climbs out and tosses its cage at the two, but Hulk punches it away with ease as the monster roars at them, only for Hulk to roar back. Hulk charges at the monster and locks fists with it. Like his previous encounters with Titan beasts back at the asylum, Hulk eventually gains the upper hand, punching his hideous opponent in the face and gut over and over. As the creature gets on one knee, breathing hard, Hulk lifts the monster over his head and tosses it into one of the electrified walls, knocking the creature out.

"**Hulk strongest one there is**!" Hulk roars out in victory, beating his chest like a gorilla.

Batman quietly scoffs at Hulk's boasting as he contacts Alfred. "Alfred, we found Penguin."

_And Mr. Freeze? Have you located the cure yet_?" Alfred asks through the communication device.

"No. Not yet. The situation is worse than I initially thought. Penguin has a supply of the Titan formula." Batman answers, only for Oracle to rudely butt in on the conversation.

"_He's got what? How'd he get Titan off Arkham Island? What's going on here? Your suit's bio readings are spiking_."

"**Gee, that's rather rude, eavesdropping on a conversation**..." Hulk says in response to Oracle joining the chat.

"Nice of you to join us, Oracle. Alfred, bring Barbara up to speed."

"_Of course, sir_." Alfred says politely as he ends the call.

Hulk grunts slightly. "**Now what do we do**?"

Batman looks at Hulk. "We go after Penguin."

* * *

-**Later**-

Batman and Hulk come across a wall of ice that's blocking their path. Batman pulls out his Explosive Gel gadget, only for Hulk to clear his throat, pointing out that he can get through the ice much faster. Batman puts the gadget away as Hulk rears his right arm back and smashes through the ice with one hit. However, as soon as the two walk on, they are shot by Penguin, who is using Mr. Freeze's ice gun.

"Stay right where I can see you two. You wouldn't believe the fight the old snowman put up. Still, I got what I wanted, and that's all that matters." Penguin mockingly says as another one of Gordon's cops runs across the frozen water, the ice cracking with each step that he took. He dodged several shots from Penguin before he fires a charged shot, which hits him in the ankle freezing him in place. "When you're both done in here, feel free to join me in the Iceberg Lounge so I can kick your asses again." Penguin 'coldly' says as he walks away.

After Penguin disappears from view, Hulk and Batman free themselves from the ice that restrained them as they growl in frustration at Penguin's actions.

"**I hate that short bastard**." Hulk says angrily. "**He's such a jerk**!"

"Me too." Batman replies with equal anger. He glides down onto the ice, only for it to crack violently upon landing. "The ice is too thin. I'll have to move slowly. Hulk, stay put. With your weight, you'll shatter the ice instantly."

Hulk growls softly, but nods his head. "**Fine...but hurry. I hate waiting**."

Batman approaches the frozen officer and frees him from the ice, grappling back up to the platform where Hulk stood, his arms crossed in boredom. "Are you from the 13th Precinct?"

"Yeah...There are two more guys in this room. Penguin froze them up, then...Well, I guess you guys saw what happened." The cop stutters as a result from being frozen.

"**Uh-huh. We saw**." Hulk says, his arms still crossed.

"I'll get them. You wait here and try to warm up." Batman says as he returns his focus on getting across the frozen water. As Batman slowly treads across the ice, a humongous shark bursts out of the water and bites at Batman, but narrowly misses him and retreats back into the water.

"_Sorry, Batman. Did I forget to mention my little friend down there_?" Penguin's voice asks as it plays through a loudspeaker. "_Meet Tiny. Who would've thought a big fish could be so useful? Not me, that's for sure. He's like a mobile garbage truck. Whatever I drop in that tank, it just...vanishes. Poof, problem gone."_

_"_**Yeah. You forgot to mention that**!" Hulk retorts to Penguin.

"If that's the case, how about we throw you in, midget?" Hulk mutters under his breath.

* * *

-**Elsewhere**-

Batman enters a prehistoric wing of the museum, in which three officers are being held hostage by Penguin's men. As per usual, even without Hulk backing him up, Batman is easily able to take the goons down as he approaches one of the officers.

"I saw you clear the room. Awesome work, man. The name's Tom. Tom Miller." The man says.

"You're part of Gordon's strike team. I've seen your file." Batman says.

"You have? I mean, yes, sir. Cobblepot's turned this place into a fortress. Someone ratted us out."

"You're safe now. There are just two more of you unaccounted for." Batman says assuredly.

"You try the Iceberg Lounge? Cobblepot likes to take us there to beat us. If we're lucky, that's where they are."

* * *

-**Trophy Room**-

After being unable to reach Penguin due to his ice gun, Batman wanders around some more, eventually coming across a room full of trophy cases, one of which was tropical island themed...and was holding Mr. Freeze, who was no doubt suffering greatly because of it. As Batman approaches a weak wall, the one-armed man from before clutches his throat and tosses him back, pulling a massive scythe from a sheath on his back as several smaller goons run in. Batman simply cracks his neck as he quickly contends with the goons, his mind mostly focused on getting Mr. Freeze out of his makeshift prison cell. Once they've been taken down, Batman uses his Cryptographic Sequencer to hack the door to Mr. Freeze's cell, allowing the blue-skinned man to finally attain freedom, collapsing onto the ground in front of Batman, who lifts his head up.

"Joker's cure. Where is it?"

Mr. Freeze scoffs at his question. "Forget the clown. I want Cobblepot. He has my suit, my weapons. I'll end him for what he's done to me." He says.

"Penguin's mine. You need to stay focused on that cure or innocent people will die." Batman says as Hulk enters the room.

"**Nice work with the puny men, Bat**." Hulk says as he looks at the unconscious henchmen. "**Tougher than you look**." He says as he looks down at Mr. Freeze. "**Oof. Someone's having a bad day**..."

"You don't understand, Batman. I cannot complete my work without my suit. I must have it. Everything depends on it. Everything."

"Penguin is protecting himself...with your ice gun. How do we get past it?" Batman asks.

Mr. Freeze 'coldly' chuckles at his question. "Do I look like a fool? Why would I tell you two that?"

"**Grrrrr**..." Hulk growls impatiently.

"Because if we can't get past it, we won't help get your suit back. Think about it, Victor. You don't look well. If you're gone...what'll happen to Nora?" Batman asks, knowing Freeze will take offense at that.

"Leave my wife out of this! Don't let this situation fool you and your friend. We are not allies."

Without skipping a beat, Batman pulls the coolant filled cylinder out of Freeze's chest, an action that even Hulk was surprised by.

"**Geez...not even I'm that twisted**..." Hulk says.

"Today is not a good day to push us, Victor." Batman says as he pours some of the coolant onto the floor.

"Stop! I'll help you!" Freeze says in protest, to which Batman stops pouring. "There's a security override chip...I built into the suit...to stop anyone using my..weapons against me." He says weakly.

"How did that work out for you?" Batman sarcastically asks, tilting his head.

"Why don't you two go get the security override, and figure out a way to stop him yourselves?" Freeze meanly asks.

"**Hmmmm**..." Hulk growls again as he walks away. "**Jerk**."

"Been a pleasure, Victor." Batman says, walking away before tossing the coolant cylinder back to Freeze, who implants it back into his body.

* * *

-**Later**-

**Prehistoric Wing**

With Hulk by his side, Batman heads to the wing where Freeze's suit is being kept behind a display case.

"That's the famous Freeze suit..." Tom Miller says in awe.

"**Sure is**." Hulk says as he punches out the glass, allowing Batman to pull out a strange vial and hand it to Tom.

"When we leave, get this over to Freeze. He won't be dangerous." Batman says as he pulls a small microchip out of the suit's forearm.

* * *

-**Iceberg Lounge**-

Hulk and Batman enter and after avoiding several streams of ice from the ice gun, use the security override chip on the ice gun, jamming it long enough for Batman to uppercut Penguin to a lower level of the Lounge. Hulk grins at Penguin's defeat.

"You're finished, Cobblepot." Batman says angrily.

"No! I'm sorry! Please, don't hurt me!" Penguin grovels.

"**Ha! Begging now? Even for you, that's pathetic!**" Hulk mockingly says.

"We can't guarantee you'll be unharmed, Penguin." Batman says.

"Hehehe! Me neither!" Penguin says as he whips out a detonator, blowing up the floor beneath the two heroes, leading them to fall into a dark chamber and groan upon hitting the ground hard. "I gave you two the opportunity to end this and walk away, but no. You boys had to act all big and tough. Well, guess what? From up here, you look pretty small." Penguin mocks as he presses a button, which activates some electrical equipment, illuminating the room. "Don't be so sad. I've got a surprise for you down there." Penguin says as the heroes spot a large, grey-skinned man bound by some chains.

"**Don't tell me that's who I think it is.**" Hulk says as Penguin electrocutes the large man, making him spring to life.

"Solomon Grundy..." The large brute groans. "Born on a Monday...Christened on Tuesday...Married on Wednesday!" He roars.

"Found him down there when I bought the place. Hehehe! Comes in handy..." Penguin says as Grundy breaks free from his restraints, towering over the two heroes.

Grundy roars as he slams one of the chains downward, though the heroes dodge the attack, following it up by Hulk leaping up and punching Grundy across the face, and Batman slicing Grundy's leg with a batarang.

"**How do we kill someone who's already dead, Bat**?" Hulk asks as he punches Grundy again.

"Hit him hard!" That was all Batman could think of; he was too busy avoiding Grundy's attacks to think up a strategy.

Hulk rolls his eyes as he punches Grundy's knee, making him kneel down and allowing Hulk to repeatedly punch the giant zombie in the face, dazing him as he fell on both knees. Batman takes advantage of Grundy's vulnerability and along with Hulk, repeatedly punches Grundy in the head again and again.

Penguin growls in frustration as he presses a button, reactivating the electrical machine and charging Grundy up again.

"Raaahr!" Grundy roars as he swings his chain weapons at the heroes, who once again avoid his attacks and counter with much faster attacks of their own. Hulk takes point, punching and slamming into Grundy as if he was a walking battering ram.

"**Die, Grundy**!" Hulk roars out. "**You're not so tough**!" As he continues to pummel Grundy, Hulk notices his exposed heart, which was glowing a sickly yellow color. "**I _really_ wish I didn't have to do this**..." Hulk mumbles to himself as he lunges at Grundy and punches his heart, making Grundy fall down dead...for good.

Right on cue, Penguin enters the chamber through a door, clutching a grenade launcher. "Oi! Just me now! The Bat and Beast vs the Bird!" He says as he starts to rapidly fire his weapon at the heroes, missing every time due to their superior speed. As Penguin frantically tries to reload his weapon, Hulk grabs the small man by the shoulder.

"**I told you to _shut up_**!" Hulk roars in Penguin's face before slamming on the ground, hard enough to take him down, but not enough to kill him.

* * *

-**Later**-

Now in his armored suit, Mr. Freeze looks at a female ninja being held in a display case near the entrance of the museum before turning around to look at Hulk and Batman, the former of which was holding Penguin by the throat.

"Where...is Cobblepot?" He asks as Hulk drops him in front of Mr. Freeze.

"**Here he is. That little jerk**..." Hulk mumbles.

"Well, look who it is. Mr. Free-!" Penguin screams as Mr. Freeze steps on his broken hand, clearly enjoying his screams of pain.

"Freeze! Enough!" Batman says in protest.

"Of course." Mr. Freeze politely says as he picks Penguin up and slams him against the ninja's display case, cracking it. "You will..regret what you did, Mr. Cobblepot." As Penguin groans, Mr. Freeze carries him to an empty display case and tosses him inside, locking him in.

"The cure, Freeze." Batman says.

"There...isn't one."

"What?!" Batman exclaims.

"**What do you mean, baldy**?" Hulk asks. "**No cure? That's bull**."

"Perhaps I should elaborate." Freeze says as he displays a 3-D hologram of the cure's formula. "Creating an antidote to the disease that afflicts the clown was easy. Unfortunately, the cure degrades too quickly. It needs a restorative element, some kind of...reforming enzyme. Without it, it breaks down...before it can help its host."

"I've seen this before..." Batman says as he looks at the hologram. Hulk, however, only tilts his head in confusion.

"Finding a suitable enzyme isn't the only problem. It needs to be adapted, bonded to human DNA. That will take decades, time it appears...you do not have, Batman."

This gives Batman an idea. "What if I told you I know a man that's been exposed to that enzyme for centuries?"

"Hmm? What man?" Freeze asks.

"His name is Rã's al Ghül." Batman answers, getting the ninja, who was now meditating to open her eyes and look at the trio.

"Bring him to me. All I need is a sample of his blood. It's your only hope."

"Rã's al Ghül is dead." Batman says in defeat.

"**Crud**." Hulk adds.

"Then you and the clown are doomed." Freeze says melodramatically.

"Not exactly. I just need someone to tell us where the body is...then we can wake him up." Batman says before looking at the ninja, who breaks out of her display case.

"Blasphemer! You are not worthy to speak of the great Rã's al Ghül!" She whines as she runs away, leaving a blood trail in her wake.

"**Coward**!" Hulk yells at her, though she's already long gone. "**Urgh...I hate ninjas**..." He mumbles.

"Batman, you fool. You let your only hope escape." Freeze says.

"**Shove it, ice cube head**." Hulk retorts to Freeze.

"No, Victor. If Rã's al Ghül is in Arkham City...we now have a trail right to him."

* * *

**-Author's Note-**

**Sorry for the delay.**

**I can make the Grundy fight longer if you like. **


	5. Finding The Demon's Lair

Batman scans the floor, spotting some blood that undoubtedly belonged to the assassin. After scanning it, Batman calls up Oracle. "Oracle, change of plans. We're going after the League of Assassins."

"_What? Why? What have they got to do with all this? Wait a minute. Is this about Rã's...or his daughter_?" Oracle asks, piecing together a possible reason as to why Batman all of a sudden wants to focus on the League.

"Penguin had one of the League's assassins imprisoned in the museum. I recognized the insignia. She's a member of Talia's elite guard." Batman says as he and Hulk slowly walk upstairs, heading for the entrance.

"_I knew it. Bruce, what is it about that woman that makes her the most important person in your world_?" Oracle asks in a rather jealous sounding manner.

"**Hmph. Jealous much**?" Hulk jokingly asks, listening in on the conversation.

"Talia is not the goal, Barbara. I've uploaded Freeze's unfinished cure. It looks to me like the answer is-" Batman says, only to be cut off by Oracle.

"_Found in Rã's al Ghül's blood. Okay, Bruce. I guess you guys need to go after him. But please stay focused. Don't let her get in the way again_." Oracle pleads as Batman ends the call.

"**This isn't awkward at all**..." Hulk lowly says.

"I agree it's an odd feeling, but we have no choice. Rã's blood is the only hope I have, as well as Joker and anyone else he poisoned." Batman says in response as they exit the museum. As Batman says this, Hulk grunts and nods in response.

* * *

-**The Bowery**-

As the two start to investigate where the ninja might've gone, they eventually spot blood. Batman scans it and realizes it's the assassin's blood and motions Hulk to follow him as the search is led to the rooftops. As they continue to follow the trail, they come across some blood soaked bandages, of which the blood matched the assassin's. Noticing Batman stop, Hulk starts to wonder. "**What is it**?"

"The blood trail stops here." Batman says before the two get blindsided by the assassin. Ever since Hulk joined Batman's side, the League has started coating their weapons in adamantium, which is durable and sharp enough to pierce even Hulk's dense hide. As the two recover, Batman spots the ninja hopping across the rooftops. "The only way to find Rã's is to get a tracker on that ninja!"

Hulk grunts and nods. "**Got it**!" He then runs after the ninja with Batman following behind him. After hopping several buildings, the ninja stands still on a large rooftop as Hulk lands in front of her and swings his right arm, only for the woman to flip over his attack and slash the back of his legs with her sword, green blood pouring from the deep cuts as Batman glides down and trades blows with the ninja before sneakily attaching a tracker to the back of her shoulder. Once he does this, the ninja knocks him down and pins him while two other ninjas surround Hulk, their swords pointed at him.

"You both only live because the great Rã's al Ghül commands it!" The first ninja says before hearing a whistle as her allies are quickly knocked out by a hooded figure wielding a bo staff.

As Hulk heals, he smiles, recognizing the 'R' on the figure's chest. "**What're the odds**...?"

"Call him off!" The ninja says as she presses her blade to Batman's throat. The hooded man tightens the grip on his bo as he approaches Batman's foe.

"I can take her." The figure says.

"Stand down." Batman says calmly. As much as the hooded figure didn't want to, he listened and distended his weapon.

"Do not follow us." The ninja says softly as she gets off of Batman, sheathes her sword, and runs away.

"**Coward**..." Hulk grumbles as he slowly stands up. "**Nice to see you, Robin**."

"You too, green." Robin says with a light smile.

"We didn't need your help." Batman says pridefully.

"Really? That's not how it looked from where I was standing." Robin remarks.

"We had it under control. Why did Alfred send you?" Batman asks.

"He was worried about you." Robin answers.

Batman says nothing as he pulls an unmarked vial of blood from his utility belt and hands it to Robin. "Take this and get it analyzed. Start searching the hospitals and emergency rooms throughout Gotham. Anyone with this blood in them will be dead within 24 hours."

"Whose blood is it?" Robin asks before thinking it over. "Oh...it's yours, isn't it?" He asks, not getting an audible answer from Batman. "I'll get it to the hospitals and come back. You guys need my help here."

"No. We can handle it. You're needed in Gotham. Things could get worse. Much worse." Batman says.

"You think? If Strange really knows who you guys are, what happens if he tells everyone?" Robin asks Batman, who puts his hands on Robin's shoulders in an assuring way.

"Trust me. We'll find a way." Batman says.

Robin nods as he hands Batman his Line Launcher and begins to walk away. "If you guys need me, you know where I am."

* * *

-**Later**-

**Amusement Mile**

After Robin leaves for Gotham, Hulk and Batman traverse Arkham City, following the signal of the tracker Batman put on the League ninja, leading them underground as Batman contacts Oracle. "Oracle, we're heading underground. Below the surface, Gotham's a maze of old steel and ironwork. Our signals might get weak. Try to stay locked on."

"_Got it. Re-routing additional satellite coverage now. Good luck, guys_." Oracle says to them.

* * *

-**Later**-

As the two heroes wander through some underground buildings, Batman suddenly falls to his knees as Hulk stands over him with concern. "**Batman**?" Hulk asks, wondering about his friend's wellbeing as Oracle chimes in.

"_Bruce! Are you alright? Did something happen? All the readings from your suit just went red_." She says to Batman, who struggles to stand as Hulk helps him up.

"Just...give me a minute. I'll be alright." Batman groans as he coughs.

"_No, you won't, Bruce. Hurry! You're running out of time_!" Oracle says, clearly worried about Batman.

"**She has a point, Bat**." Hulk says, overhearing what Oracle said.

* * *

-**Later**-

After regaining his strength, Batman and Hulk continue on, eventually coming across some of Joker's men, who have somehow gotten their hands on weapons used by the TYGER guards, which was very concerning for Batman. Hulk, however, simply cracks his knuckles and leaps into the building they're standing in, and quickly takes them down with hard, but controlled punches to their faces and torsos, knocking them out. After the goons pass out, Batman contacts Oracle again. "Oracle, looks like Joker is sending his crew down to steal weapons off the TYGER guards."

"_That's not good. Those guys are armed with the latest military weapons. If Joker gets his hands on that stuff...Well, you know_." Oracle says with worry in her voice.

"He won't. We won't let him." Batman says as he ends the call.

"**Even if Joker gets them, they'll be useless on me**." Hulk says boastfully, pointing out that he's bulletproof.

"Not all of us are immune to bullets, Hulk..." Batman remarks.

* * *

-**Prince Manor**-

Diana stands by the window of her bedroom, worrying nonstop about Hulk, even though she knew he could take care of himself. As she stares off into the distance, baby Atreus coos, "Dada."

"I know you miss your father, Atreus. As do I." Diana says softly as she lifts her infant son up and cradles him in her arms. "I worry for him. Even when it's unnecessary. I pray to the gods that he returns unharmed..."

* * *

-**Arkham City**-

**Entrance to Wonder City**

Cut back to Hulk and Batman, who enter a room, spotting a pretty nurse being held captive by several of Joker's men, who had TYGER guard weaponry, though it was nothing against the heroes' superior skills. After taking out the goons, Hulk holds the nurse in his arms as he leaps up to a higher level and sets her down. "Thank you!" The nurse, Fiona Wilson, says in gratitude.

"What are you doing in Arkham City?" Batman asks.

"Wait. I'm in Arkham City? What the hell am I doing here? I was grabbed outside the hospital I intern at. They must've drugged me. I woke up in a building up there." Fiona says, shocked to know where she was.

"The person in charge here has been rounding up doctors to try to fix Joker. Looks like you were unlucky." Batman says.

"He's dying, right?" Fiona asks the caped crusader.

"Seems that way." Batman replies.

"Is it...wrong not to feel bad about that?" Fiona asks.

"**Maybe a bit**..." Hulk mumbles to himself, crossing his arms.

"You need to stay here. Keep out of sight, and you'll be fine. We'll be back." Batman says to Fiona. As the two heroes continue to progress, Batman rings up Oracle again. "Oracle, it's us. Joker's not stealing the weapons from Strange. Strange is giving Joker the weapons."

"_Are you sure? Pfft. Of course you're sure. Why would he do that_?" Oracle asks.

"Maybe he's trying to control who runs the streets. We're going to look into it." Batman says.

"_Okay, but..shouldn't you guys find Rã's first_?" Oracle asks.

"That's what we're doing now. Don't worry, Barbara." Batman says, ending the call as he and Hulk come across a door down below with a sign above it that reads, "Wonder City".

"**Wonder City. Never heard of it**." Hulk says as he reads the sign aloud.

"This must be a secret place nobody's heard of. Maybe Rã's is using it as a hideout." Batman says as the two walk through the door. Once inside, they come across another door marked, "Welcome to Wonder City". As they enter, a mysterious announcer is heard.

"The world is doomed. Cities like Gotham will grow to resemble hell breaking through the sidewalk, continuing up into the sky." The voice says as Batman collapses again, this time coughing up his own blood as his vision begins to blur. He was running out of time.

"**Batman**!" Hulk says loudly as he leans down, concerned about his friend again as the voice continued to speak.

"Structures will grow to blot out the sun, and the people who live in them will be choked by the pollution they create. Eventually, when no space remains, this world will die, struggling for breath as man's mistakes nail the coffin shut. But...this doesn't have to be your future, Gotham." The voice says as Batman regains enough strength to stand and fire his Remote Electrical Charge at a generator in the floor, opening the door, revealing a staggering inmate.

"They're...everywhere..." The man groans as he falls forward, a dagger jutting out of his back, clearly the handiwork of a League ninja. As the two enter another room, three League ninjas appear and attack the duo, out maneuvering them and swinging their swords at them. As Hulk fights one, the ninja avoids a swing from his right arm and slashes Hulk's eyes with her adamantium-edged sword, making him roar in pain as he covers his eyes with one hand while blindly swinging at the ninja with his other hand, hitting nothing but air, though he quickly recovers from the wound and kicks the ninja into a wall when she lunges at him. Hulk then grabs another ninja and tosses it at the last one, who was swinging her sword wildly at Batman. With their foes defeated, they press on.

* * *

-**Wonder City**-

The two enter a long hallway, which is filled with buildings and glass cases, some of which have strange robots inside while others are lying around on the floor. "**This place is weird**..." Hulk mumbles as his eyes scan the area. Upon reaching a large door with a glowing centerpiece and an ornate decoration resembling a demonic face with red eyes, the two stop in their tracks.

"The tracker's signal continues beyond this door, but the door looks like it's been sealed for decades. The assassins must be using another way to get through." Batman says as he looks at the mysterious door.

"**Then we better get through**..." Hulk says as he starts punching the massive door, breaking through it with ease.

As the two heroes walk through the massive hole that used to be a door, Batman collapses once again, laying on his stomach and was unable to move, even as Hulk shook him. Soon after, Batman saw a gate slowly open, revealing a bright white light and the sound of his parents, who were beckoning him.

"Bruce...you can hear me, can't you?" Martha Wayne asks, her voice echoing through Batman's mind as he slowly looks at her, though to Hulk, nothing was happening. "You need to step into the light. Your father and I are waiting. We've missed you so much." Martha adds.

"Join us, son. Your time has come. Come with us." Thomas Wayne says as he and Martha hold their hands out to him.

"You have to do it. We need you to do it, Bruce. Bruce?" Martha beckons again as Oracle's voice replaces hers.

"_Bruce! Bruce, can you hear me? Your vitals...they're dropping; it's like they're in freefall. You need to find whatever you guys are looking for now_." Oracle says with distress as Hulk helps Batman stand up.

As Batman coughs, he asks, "How long have I got?"

"_Oh, thank God_." Oracle says in relief at hearing Batman's voice. "_Um, I'm not going to sugar coat it, but at this rate...I'd say minutes. Seriously, you need to tell me what you want me to do. What do I get Robin or Hulk to do? You know, if you don't_..."

"I'll make it." Batman weakly says as he ends the call.

As Batman weakly walks towards a door, with Hulk by his side, he falls onto one knee as several League ninjas surround them, swords drawn. "You fools should've listened to my warning."

"**Just shut up**!" Hulk says in annoyance as he gets ready for a fight. Before the ninjas can strike, however, a firm yet feminine voice calls out.

"Stop!" The voice calls out, prompting the ninjas to stand down. As Barman stands, a rather beautiful woman slowly approaches the caped crusader and rather harshly slaps him across the face.

"Hello, Talia." Batman smoothly says.

"**Still holding a grudge**..." Hulk mutters in response to Talia's slap.

"How did you find us?" Talia asks rather angrily.

"We recognized your personal guard. It was just a matter of...following her." Batman says as he presses a button on his wrist device, activating the tracker he placed on the ninja.

As Talia approaches the rather incompetent ninja, she gulps. "Please, mistress, they tricked me-"

"_Leave_. I will deal with you later." Talia says, making the ninjas bow and quickly depart, leaving Talia alone with the heroes. "You didn't need to get yourself arrested to see me, Bruce." She says as she looks at Batman, then looks upon Hulk. "Hulk. I'm surprised you're here as well...considering our history."

"**I'm not here to reminisce on our past**." Hulk says with a light smirk as he crosses his arms. "**Though it was fun kicking your ass all those years ago**..." He adds.

Talia chuckles softly. "I'd imagine not, old friend." She says. "My defeat in battle against you was more humiliating than fun." She adds before looking at Batman again. "Bruce...after that night we spent in Metropolis...you could've just called." She says to the caped crusader.

"I'm not here for you, Talia." Batman says. "Where's Rã's? If he's dead again, you need to wake him up."

"Only a true successor may stand before the great Rã's al Ghül. Care to volunteer once again, Hulk?" Talia asks.

"**Tempting...but I was king before. Didn't go well, remember**?" Hulk says, remembering his time on Sakaar.

"As you wish. Bruce...my father always intended us to be together...to command his army." She says to Batman as she starts to circle the caped crusader, placing her hand on his back. "Just imagine it. You...Me...A better world..." She whispers seductively as she lifts his cowl to kiss him, only to see that his face was greatly disfigured; his skin was turning a sickly white, and dark, visible veins could be seen all over. "Your face! What happened?" Talia asks, horrified by what she saw.

"That's why we're here. I'm here to take my place at your side." Batman says as he pulls his cowl back down, covering his face.

"You now wish to become an assassin? Why should I trust this change of heart?" Talia asks in disbelief.

"**Uh...did you not see his face**?" Hulk remarks to her questioning.

"Like he said, Talia, you saw my face. Does it look like I have a choice?" Batman adds.

"Are you truly prepared to take the Demon Trials? You must show you are fully willing to take a life to save the world." Talia says.

Batman nods ever so slightly and says, "I'm ready."

"Then let the trials commence." Talia says with a smile.


	6. Getting A Sample

Talia and Batman walk down a secret pathway, leaving Hulk behind with her personal guard. Though Hulk didn't trust Talia, he knew Batman did, and that was good enough for him.

"Thousands of warriors have fallen in pursuit of the Demon. Many would-be successors have proven to be nothing more than children battling the enormity of creation." Talia tells Batman as he follows her, still weak and barely standing.

"I've seen worse." Batman says blankly.

"Nothing can prepare you for what comes next. Destiny will decide your fate." Talia says to him.

"I won't fail, Talia." Batman says assuredly.

Talia shakes her head at Batman's words. "I have heard these exact words a hundred times from others. Let us hope you are correct." She and Batman keep walking until they reach a closed door. "Here. Your journey begins through this door."

Batman looks at the door and says, "Let's get started." As he starts walking, Talia stops him, putting her hand on his chest.

"Are you sure, Bruce? Only one other man has ever passed this ordeal." Talia says in reference to her father.

"Are you trying to talk me out of doing this?" Batman asks Talia.

"No, of course not. I just...I just want you to be certain. When the Blood of the Demon takes hold of your mind, you'll be on your own." Talia says.

"Like always." Batman says in response to this. "I can do this, Talia."

"Then may the spirits be kind..." Talia says as she lets Batman walk past her and walks through the door, entering an empty room as Talia walks away, heading back up to where Hulk is.

"**Well**?" Hulk asks Talia.

"Batman will have to go through the Demon Trials alone. It's the only way for him to become my father's successor." Talia says to the green-skinned hero.

"**Mmm. Remember the first time you bozos tried to take me down**?" Hulk asked Talia with a smirk as he crosses his arms.

"Hehe. You will never stop teasing me with that, will you?" Talia asks with a sarcastic chuckle.

"**Nope. Never**." Hulk replies.

* * *

(**A Few Years Ago**)

-**Small Town: Alberta, Canada**-

A couple days before Hulk had his destructive battle with Wolverine and The Wendigo, Bruce Banner took residence in a motel room for the night, unaware that the League of Assassins had somehow managed to track him down, with the objective of stealing his DNA so they can empower their assassins as well as Rã's himself with Hulk's immense strength and durability. If they succeeded, they will be unstoppable.

As Bruce sleeps peacefully in his motel room, Talia, Rã's, and a handful of ninjas sneak into his room. The ninjas grab Bruce, who wakes up with a startled yell as he manages to get free and back himself into a corner.

"S-Stay back! Get away from me!" Bruce shouts at his attempted kidnappers.

"Come with us quietly, or things will get...messy." Rã's says with an ominous tone in his voice, willing to do whatever it takes to attain Bruce's DNA.

"Please...Leave me alone...For your own safety, please! You don't know what you're doing!" Bruce said, hoping they'll listen and leave before things get _really_ bad.

"We're wasting time..." Talia says as she pulls out a syringe full of a sedative.

Seeing the syringe, Bruce felt Hulk forcing himself to transform as his eyes suddenly went green. Before the ninjas could respond, Hulk roared loudly at his aggressors. "**Banner told you to go away! Dumb ninjas not listen, so Hulk smash ninjas**!" Hulk said primitively before punching and slamming the ninjas around. Talia swings her sword at Hulk's right leg, but the sword shatters like glass, as its wasn't made out of a dense enough metal. Hulk then snarled as he grabbed Talia and threw her out the window. "**Leave Hulk alone**!" Hulk said angrily before leaping through the roof of the motel, leaving Rã's in the shambles of his ninjas.

* * *

(**Present Day**)

-**Demon Trials Room**-

Batman stands in the empty room in silence before hearing an all too familiar ethereal voice.

"_Welcome, detective. I am the great Rã's al Ghūl. Before you is your first Demon Trial_." The voice speaks out to Batman. "_Sitting on the table in front of you is a chalice. Drink from the chalice. It's that simple_." Without a second's hesitation, Batman approaches the table, picks up the golden chalice, and drinks from it, his skin brightening and the dark veins on his face vanishing. "_Good, detective. Feel the Blood of the Demon course its way through your veins as it restores your health and twists your will_." The voice says as the room crumbles to pieces, revealing a desert wasteland surrounded by the ruins of Gotham as Batman approaches a ghost of Rã's al Ghūl, who is hovering above the ground.

"Rã's." Batman simply says in response to everything.

"_Detective. Your next task is also simple. Follow me through this world, and the trial will be complete. But...if you touch anything along the way except the crystalline platform...you will die_." Rã's says before vanishing into thin air and then he reappears on top of the aforementioned crystalline platform. Batman dives off of the cliff he's standing on and expertly glides to the platform safely, making the Rã's spirit smile as the platform starts to rise up. "_These tests, detective, will prove if you are strong enough to lead my forces to save this world from the very evil that is destroying it_." The spirit says as sandy manifestations of League ninjas appear and attack Batman, but he easily counters their attacks and beats them, making them disappear like dust blowing in the wind. "_Wait...Are you the one I have searched for, detective? Are you the one who will be my successor_?" Rã's asks before vanishing, and a large golden-orange vortex appears in the distance.

Figuring that's his way out, Batman glides over to it then dive bombs in, only to discover he's still in this bizarre purgatory as he lands on a platform with the ghost.

"_The Blood of the Demon has allowed me to live on for 600 years. Imagine the good you could do with such a gift, detective_." The ghost says as Batman traverses more of this hellish landscape with his gliding skills. After scaling another crystal platform, the ghost appears once more. "_I can see that your body is weakening already. The small quantity that you consumed will only keep you alive for a few more hours. The time has come for you to make the ultimate decision. It is time you face me in person. Complete this final challenge...and the Blood of the Demon will gift you with eternal life_!" The spirit says as it vanishes for the last time as another golden vortex appears below, prompting Batman to dive into it, finally arriving back in the real world. Batman stands up and exits the room, walking up the long walkway and reuniting with Hulk and Talia, who've been peacefully conversing by a large door the whole time. As Batman approaches, Talia looks at Batman with a surprised look on her face.

"You did it!" Talia exclaimed happily.

You sound surprised." Hulk and Batman say to her in unison.

"Of course I'm not surprised, beloved. I've always had faith in you." Talia says to Batman.

"**Sure you did**..." Hulk remarks with crossed arms, not buying it for a second.

"Where's Rã's? I need to see him now. I'm running out of time." Batman says to Talia rather impatiently.

"He awaits you through this door. I pray the spirits will be kind and give you victory." Talia says, motioning her hand to the door that she and Hulk are standing by. Talia, Hulk, and Batman then enter through the door.

* * *

(**Rã's Throneroom**)

Hulk, Batman and Talia enter the room, spotting a man hunching over in front of a pool full of a bright green liquid.

"Rã's al Ghūl." Batman says grimly as his eyes glare at the hunched over man, who then slowly turns around to look at Batman and Hulk. He looked like he was about to fall over dead, and he had a nasty wound on the right side of his face.

"Ah...Welcome, detective..." Rã's says weakly before looking over to Hulk. "Welcome, creature. It is time for your final challenge, detective." He says as he focuses his attention back to Batman. "Kill me. Replace me as the Head of the Demon. After all...it os your destiny..."

Batman scowls at Rã's orders. "No. I will never kill. Not even someone as deranged and evil as you."

Talia's eyes widen as she looks over to Batman. "What? Y-You lied to me!"

"We needed a sample of your father's blood, Talia; this was the only way to acquire it." Batman says in response to Talia.

"If it's my blood you seek...then let me help you." Rã's says as he plants his sword into the ground. "Use my sword. Take all of my blood."

"**Ew**." Hulk says blankly is response to Rã's words.

"No. I will not kill you, Rã's." Batman says, once again denying his enemy's request.

"And that is your final answer, detective?" Rã's asks with a dark, sinister chuckle before stepping backwards, falling into the Lazarus Pit behind him. A bright glow fills the room as Rã's slowly walks out of the Pit, now rejuvenated by the pool's mystical ingredients. He now looked like a young man, and his dragon tattoo on his right arm glowed a bright, otherworldly yellow as he pulled his sword out of the ground. "Now only one of us can leave this chamber alive!"

"We will see about that..." Batman replied as he tackled Rã's into the Lazarus Pit, which transported them to a large desert area, now cut off from Hulk and Talia.

* * *

(**Desert Arena**)

"You should've killed me when you had the chance!" Rã's yells as he charges at Batman, sword in hand, but Batman deflects the attack with the blades on his gauntlets before delivering several punches to Rã's face and torso and finishing his combo with a kick to his gut.

"I will not stoop to your level, Rã's!" Batman says to his enemy.

* * *

(**Demon Trials Room**)

Hulk stands in the room with Talia, wondering where Batman and Rã's went. "**Where'd they go**?" Hulk asked as he glared at Talia. "**Where**?!"

"They are in conflict...On a plane of reality that you cannot reach." Talia says cryptically.

"**Enough! Just speak normally for once**!" Hulk said impatiently. He did not have time for Talia's cryptic nonsense.

Talia sighed, knowing that Hulk would probably get physical if she didn't talk. "As you wish. When they entered the Lazarus Pit, they were transported to a desert arena."

"**How do I get there**?" Hulk asks, wanting to help Batman deal with Rã's.

"Simply jump into the Lazarus Pit. It'll take you directly to them." Talia answered, which prompted Hulk to jump into the Lazarus Pit with taking a second to think it over.

After Hulk jumped into the Pit, he fell thousands of feet before landing in the arena. However, he then noticed that he felt different, as if he was...younger. He realized that after he jumped into the Pit, he had regressed to the age of 25.

"**Huh. Cool. Creepy, but cool**." Hulk said to himself before ramming into Rã's, who was swinging his sword wildly at Batman.

"Hulk. You're...younger.." Batman said, observing Hulk's youthful look.

"**There's a better time to explain. For now...let's kick this old bastard's ass**!" Hulk said before punching Rã's with his right fist, sending him flying a considerable distance.

The two heroes combined skill and strength, overpowering and out maneuvering Rã's for several minutes until the desert venue suddenly changed; they were now back in the Demon Trials Room.

"Father!" Talia said with distress as she kneeled down to inspect her father's wounds that he sustained from Hulk's intervention. However, Rã's quickly stood and held a knife to Talia's throat. "What are you doing!?"

"Listen, 'heroes' and listen well! One of you must slay me."

"**Ugh! You're still on that**?" Hulk asked, annoyed by Rã's persistence.

"Yes! You will do as I demand. If you do not...I will kill the woman you truly love, detective!" Rã's says to Batman threateningly.

"**Let me at him! I'll smash him**." Hulk says, only for Batman to put his palm on Hulk's well-toned chest.

"No. Talia will be dead long before you reach him. Rã's knows you." Batman says before prepping his Remote-Control Batarang. He then throws it, intentionally missing Rã's, but it then hits the back of his head, dazing him and making him release Talia. Before he could recover, Hulk lunges forward and takes Rã's down with a hard but controlled right cross to the jaw. With Rã's down, Hulk then lifts him by the throat and pins him to a pillar while Batman takes a sample of Rã's blood, which they now had to deliver to Mr. Freeze. Hulk then throws Rã's to the floor; he was no longer vital to their plan.

"You should've killed me..." Rã's says to the two heroes with a groan as he lays on the stone ground.

"Yes. They should have. What kind of depraved man sacrifices his own daughter for his cause?" Talia asked Rã's with anger in her voice.

"**A crazy one**?" Hulk says in response to Talia's question.

"You." Talia says bitterly as she looks at Hulk and Batman. "Hulk, I am thankful for you saving me. And...you do look quite handsome. But you, Batman...I thought you loved me, Bruce. I thought...I thought you -Both of you- were ready to join our crusade."

"Talia-" Batman speaks, but is halted by Talia holding her hand up to him.

"Don't!" Talia says angrily before storming out of the room.

Hulk sighs, kind of feeling sorry for Talia before looking down at Rã's. "**You look old. What's going on here**?"

Rã's groans as he slowly sits up, his back pressed to the pillar. "I...have used the Lazarus Pit too many times. For 600 years...I have lived and died. My mind and body cannot take much more. Each time I enter the Pit...I become more frightened of what will come out of it."

"The Lazarus Pit has corrupted your mind." Batman says as he enters the conversation. "If your Pit falls into the wrong hands...you will be powerless to stop centuries of destruction. Think about it. This..is your chance for redemption, Rã's. Call off your crusade...or we will be back for you."

After that was said, Hulk and Batman exit the room as Oracle calls them up.

"_Bruce? Hulk? Where the hell have you guys been? I thought you were dead_!" Oracle says worriedly.

"**Pfft. Nothing can kill me**..." Hulk says proudly as he takes in his newly gained youth.

"Hmm. Sorry to disappoint." Batman adds with a chuckle.

"_Did you guys find Rã's? Hold on. Batman, your suit's bio readings are back to normal. Are you cured? What is going on_?" Oracle asks, no doubt very confused.

"Rã's and his forces are based underneath Arkham City. They were extracting some kind of naturally occurring chemical that Rã's called 'Lazarus'. He's been using it for centuries, slowly perfecting it until he was even able to bring himself back from the dead."

"_Did you take some of it_?" Oracle asked.

"Only a small dose. It seems a small dosage can heal most ailments, but the small bit that I ingested had a few nasty side effects. It would seem that Rã's prolonged exposure to it drove him over the edge.

"_So...do you think you're cured?_" Oracle asks.

"No. The effects will be temporary. When this whole Arkham City situation is over, we'll have to investigate this further. I told Rã's to stop using the Pit."

"_Do you...think he will_?" Oracle asks.

Hulk shakes his head. "**Oh, please**."

"Unlikely. Rã's is too addicted to it. We gave him one chance to break his addiction. If he doesn't...we'll break him." Batman says.

* * *

(**_Author's Note_**)

**_So sorry to my fellow readers for the long wait. Hope you enjoy this chapter regardless._**

**_Hope you like me and Jason Chandler's idea of Hulk using the Lazarus Pit to transport himself to Batman's fight with Rã's. Also, Hulk being made younger and more handsome will come into play later in this story and possibly future Hulk/Arkham crossover stories. ;)_**


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